The Lords of Dust

Trouble Brewing in Eberron

The companions meet the mysterious drow ranger, Zoot, in the Hockold commons room. First impressions seem to hint that he is a man of many connections in Cliffside.

Later, near the docks of Grayflood district, they encounter a planar jumping arachnid. After a quick exchange of blows, Syfin’s Mordenkrad crushes the chitinous carapace of the spider.

That night, Zoot and Drew meet with an informant of Zoot’s instruction and buy the name and location of an illegal arms dealer and fence in Ardev, several weeks travel north.

The group walks unhindered to the city of Galethspyre, but Syfin’s drug usage arouses the guard’s alert and they are chased out of town. After camping outside the walls the party continues north, they continue to the city of Ardev.

Benn and Drew track down the arms dealer, breaking through a locked door to find him hiding in his cramped room in the attic of a local inn. After a short scuffle, the last known location of the group’s quarry is revealed. They party leaves the shifty eyed man alive and continues to pursue the rebel group to the north.

During their second night on the road, the party is ambushed at night by a group of Kobolds armed with sling pots and heavy shields.

During the start of the assault Makeria dies from a stealthy kobold blade as she slept in the main tent. Another Kobold attacks Zoot, who’s anguished cries awaken the remaining members.

After two more waves of Kobolds, silence once more returns to the night and the party turns back to Galethspyre to hire an elemental carriage to take Makeria’s corpse back to Sharn to be revived. After some deliberation, the remainder of the party follows.

Report: Through the arcane process of scrying, Hockold’s scholars watched the battle unfold and reported the following minute-by-minute account.

- 3:00pm: Party approached from NE, remains hidden in foliage across the nearby river. Makeria makes a successful scouting run and reports the apparent strength of the Fort to the rest of the contracted combatants.
- 3:15pm: The decision is made to wait until dark to strike.
- 1:00am: Benn’s monkey companion, Bo Bo, warms up to Makeria in an combined attempt to extinguish the nearest torch lamp in order to provide cover in the darkness.
- 2:00 Makeria and Bo Bo attempt to cross bridge in silence.
- 2:07am Makeria and Bo Bo halt at the far side of the bridge crossing. Instead of continuing, a rope is tossed back across the river so that the company can follow safely by crossing downstream from the bridge.
- 2:15am First combat occurs at foot of the watchtower. Benn and Drew take the tower by force as Makeria and Kildrak eliminate the first of the North Wall foot patrols near the river’s bank.
- 2:23am Watchtower falls under the party’s control. Wall sentries and remaining foot patrols fail to notice the commotion.
- 2:30am The companions take a smoke break to coordinate their next move
- 3:00am After waiting to be sure the Fort has not been alerted, the tower’s torch lamp is extinguished. An ambush is set at the base of the tower.
- 3:06am More foot patrols investigate the missing light. Ambush is successful, all north wall patrols eliminated.
- 3:16am Fort is alerted and sends out reinforcements. Combat moves along north wall towards the east.
- 3:22am Makeria climbs the wall and infiltrates the arrow slit mid-combat.
- 3:30am Portcullis gate opens. Companions rush around the front of the fort to find Makeria falling unconscious under an eleven long blade.
- 3:32am Makeria stabilizes, and then is healed. A drake enters combat, and the captain of the rebels becomes visibly active in combat.
- 3:42am Archers fill the courtyard, pushing the companions back despite their destructive momentum.
- 3:48am Benn is taken down from a critical longbow shot. Death is instantaneous.
- 3:54am Another archer picks out a weakness in Drew’s armor. Drew falls unconscious within the walls of the fort.
- 4:01am Arrows pincushion Kildrak within the doorframe of the front gate. His death is instantaneous. Drew is executed by coup-de-gras
- 4:03am Makeria attempts to fall back, but is caught in crossfire outside of the main gate. Instant death.

Final comments: Corpses were retrieved and sent to a nearby philanthropist who also witnessed the battle through scrying. In return for the party’s contractual payments from the Hockold coffers, the philanthropist arranged for the resurrection rituals of the four combatants to be performed post haste. Due to the recent timing of their demise and the relatively good condition of the post-mortem bodies, full recoveries are expected to take place within the matter of a few months.

The remaining rebels and the artifact were not found at the scene of the battle. Due to continued conflict in the nearby region, this contract has remained open in hopes that someone will continue where the party left off and return the amulet to its shrine, and in doing so bring peace to a troubled community.